Flooding devastates Chiang Mai | Issue #0007

A shorter issue for you this week, and a day early! Chiang Mai was hit with record flooding and some of our team has spent time over the last few days helping the relief effort.

Several nomads have asked if we know how they can help so we’ve got in early to share some links. You’ll find out how people in the community have and can help below, and how you can stay up to date with the relief effort. Luckily, the weekend saw some better weather!

We’ve still got some digital nomad news from near and far for you, but we’ll back in full flow next week.

In here this week:

🧘‍♂️ Get away from it all in a country that is ALL about getting away from it all!
  🎥. What’s your movie knowledge like?
 📞 How to stay in touch when you are jumping from country to country
 🏆 Win a workation

Stay safe everyone!

NEWS
How you can help the relief effort

If you are in Chiang Mai - or if you just keep up with international news - you won’t have missed the devastating floods that have hit the eastern half of the city. Flood waters from the River Ping reached as far west as the Old Town and hit record levels.

Many of the digital nomad community in the city have donated their time to help with the relief since Friday, but the big clean up as the water recedes has already started and any extra hands will be welcome.

Join these WhatsApp groups to find out the latest ways you can help:

Flood Volunteers
Chiang Mai Flood Contacts 2024 who also have a Facebook page

Helping evacuate victims, stacking sand bags, providing and cooking food for those affected and emergency services, and cleaning up neighbourhoods, houses or businesses are just some of the ways the different communities have come together.

If you aren’t in the city, want to find out the latest on the status of the flooding, or are just keen to donate to relief funds for the thousands of displaced residents, then these are good resources or ways you can help:

This Facebook page has regular updates on local relief efforts.

Chiang Mai News in English translates all the local news on the flooding.

The Family Connection Foundation (Make sure your donation ends in a 7, i.e. $17, so they know to direct funds to the flood relief.

Rise Foundation Asia are directing donations to the relief.

The latest reports are that the likelihood is that cleanup will take weeks rather than days, and as of Monday afternoon much of the overspill from the river had receded.

WHAT ELSE…

🕹️ Nostalgia in Japan: Are you a gamer? If so - and even if you aren’t - you probably started out with some variant of a Nintendo gaming machine. Well, if you’re heading to Japan - specifically Kyoto - then you can visit the new Nintendo Museum. And if you’re not, then this might persuade you!

🗣️ Which side of the controversy are you?: Whether digital nomads realise it or not - nearly 30 years on since the term was coined - the movement has grown faster than some countries are happy with. It’s not a new argument, but the big-boy press are now talking about it.

🏆 Win a workation: Even if you are already on the road, it’d still be nice to get a free work trip somewhere else in the world. Outsite, in collaboration with SafetyWing, offers the chance to win 2 weeks somewhere even more exotic than where you might be.

TRAVEL
Get back to nature, build your skills & make new friends

Even if you are a hardened digital nomad you’ll need a break from the life from time to time. Thailand is a mecca for wellness, peace and nature, and these are just part of the appeal of Gaia Ashram in Eastern Thailand.

Situated between Udon Thani and Nong Khai - easily reached by air or train - visitors get to enjoy the nature and peace of rural Thailand, but also lively community in a way only found in dedicated eco-projects like Gaia. We had a chat with them recently after a digital nomad we know raved about their experiences there:

Digital Nomads often look for something outside of their “normal” day-to-day. What do they get if they visit Gaia Ashram?
Digital nomads at Gaia Ashram get to experience community living very much immersed in nature. They also get opportunities to get their hands dirty by getting involved with Gaia’s permaculture gardening, agroforestry, natural building, and natural product-making projects, if they so choose.

Is it just about being out in nature and getting hands-on?
They also have free access to daily yoga classes, meditation sessions and Tai Chi, but also sometimes ecstatic dance, workout sessions, visiting the local market, weekend excursions and cultural events. We also run evening activities ranging from game nights to sharing circles to singalongs, movie nights, etc.

Who are typically the people you see visit?
Gaia’s visitors come from all over the world; in the past few months, we’d conservatively estimate meeting people from at least 30 different countries. They also come from very diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds, and I’ve met people between the ages of 18-70.

Are they mostly people who stay for a few days, weeks, or even longer?
All three! We have some people who just come as guests for a few days, lots of volunteers who come for between 2+ weeks, a handful of interns who stay for at least 3 months at a time, and a few permanent or long-term core residents and staff. 

What skills or experiences do visitors commonly leave with?
It really depends how they spend their time at Gaia and whether they’re there as guests, interns, volunteers, or course participants. They might leave having learned how to take care of chickens, ducks, bees, and compost worms. Or how to make various types of compost, build a building, permaculture gardening and agroforestry in the tropics, or even how to facilitate groups.

I would say that all visitors leave with some experience of what it feels like to live in community and collaborate with a very diverse group of people who all care about taking care of and connecting with nature. 

Can digital nomads come and work from Gaia?
Yes, digital nomads can come work at Gaia. We have high-speed internet and digital nomads sometimes stay as guests for periods of a few days up to a month. They can join the volunteers in their activities if and when they want to, but they’re not required to and can make their own schedule.

One thing that’s important to note is that we’re not a sleek coliving environment. We’re a rustic place in nature where some of the creature comforts of the city don’t exist, though creatures definitely do! Digital nomads can and do come and work from Gaia, and they’re typically people that enjoy living in simple, eco-friendly conditions, really close to nature.  

What is your favourite thing about Gaia Ashram?
Can I choose two? We provide an environment where you’re interacting and connecting with so many different people, which means that you learn about things you’ve never even thought about before, and that you start to think differently about things you’ve already thought extensively about.

Another one of my favorite things about it is that it usually feels like Gaia is a place where you’re very free to be yourself and that you will most likely feel supported in doing so.

What’s the next step if someone wants to visit?

They should email us at [email protected], but they can also just check out how to stay as a guest, volunteering and our course schedule on the website.

You can see the full interview with Gaia Ashram here.

SPREAD THE WORD

Do you have friends who are digital nomads roaming the world? If you think they could use a quick weekly fix of what’s happening in their world, then share this link so they can get The Digital Nomad each week too.

Or, share it on your socials with the links at the top of this newsletter.

POLL RESULTS
Staying connected wherever the road takes you

You spoke last week in our poll, and without question eSIMs and physical local SIMs are the most popular ways of keeping your phone connected in different countries. Travelling internationally comes with its hurdles and staying connected is not one you want to jump if you can help it!

Wi-Fi is easy enough, but choosing how to get phone service is perhaps more important and can be more tricky to navigate. eSIM services have made it more seamless for many and meant the days of keeping a little pouch of physical SIM cards are a thing of the past.

Physical SIMs still have advantages over eSIMs though, so we’ve put together some of the key considerations digital nomads might need to consider:

eSIMs pros:

• Convenience: you don’t need to visit a store, deal with overpricing at the airport or wait for a SIM card in the mail.

• Multiple profiles: eSIMs can store multiple carrier profiles, allowing you to easily switch between them when travelling between different countries.

• Space-saving: Since there’s no need for a physical slot, eSIMs leave room for dual-SIM functionality. You can keep your home SIM active for calls while using an eSIM for local data.

• Safety: SIM cards are tiny and easy to misplace, especially when swapping them out regularly. eSIMs don’t have this issue.

Physical SIM Cards pros:

• Compatibility: Not all devices support eSIMs. Travellers with older smartphones or budget devices might find this option unavailable.

• Availability: eSIM adoption is growing, but some countries and carriers may not offer eSIM support yet.

• Permanent changes: Deleting an eSIM profile can be cumbersome, and you may lose access to that service if not done correctly.

• Local rates: Physical SIM cards often provide competitive local rates, especially for long-term travellers in a specific country.

Both have their place for international travellers.

If you’re an eSIM user, or curious about them then Airalo - a marketplace for data packs for more than 200 countries - are worth checking out. Get 15% off if you are new to them if you use this link and the code NEWTOAIRALO15, or 10% off if you are an existing user using AIRALOESIM10.

There is still nothing wrong with having a dozen SIM cards taped to the back of your phone of course - it’s almost a digital nomad rite of passage!

WHAT DID YOU MISS?

If you are new to The Digital Nomad, or just want to go back and read a previous issue, then you can find them all here.

COWORKING IN CHIANG MAI

If you are in the city, or heading over soon, then check out the current packages - from day passes to monthly or annual memberships - here.

Or, just get in touch with Mickey or the team at Yellow Coworking at [email protected].

BRAIN FOOD
What we’ve been recommended this week

Book - Global Career: How to Work Anywhere and Travel Forever. Even if you are already a digital nomad, this might provide a little insight into how to improve your working remotely experience.

TV - Penguin. Anti, rather than super, heroes are all the rage nowadays as comic book production tries to find new ways to cash in. This one is rather good though - we challenge you to work out the actor who plays the Penguin without checking first!

Podcast - The Atlas Obscura Podcast. If you are an avid traveller then this might be for you (not every digital nomad is super-adventurous!). Taking you on weird paths in strange places, this one could inspire the next destination.

Drop us an email at [email protected] if you have any recommendations we should share!

CONNECT TO CHIANG MAI
Fill your social calendar in Chiang Mai

Steve’s Email: A weekly resource and email for events around the city. Steve’s away for a couple of weeks, but bookmark it for next week!

Digital Nomad WhatsApp: A long-standing group that spawned a range of sub-groups for almost any niche and interest in the city.

ChiangMai Fit WhatsApp: If you want to do something active (trust us, being fit isn’t a prerequisite!) then wholesome activities throughout the week in here.

Yellow Coworking Telegram: For more about what is happening at Yellow, and to be part of their conversation, join here.

THE DIGITAL RESOURCE

We’ve shared some useful resources over the first few weeks, and while you can access back issues here, several have asked us to share them again. So, to save lots of email back-and-forths, or searching through previous newsletters, here are the most asked for resources:

• Safety Wing, who also offer digital nomad insurance, have started running community events in various locations around the world. A few participants in a Chiang Mai one even won a meal out at a top restaurant in the city!

• Genki also do worldwide digital nomad insurance.

• Healthy Junk is the go-to for healthy food near Yellow. Dine in, out or get it delivered.

• Get your meal prep from Chef Fuji. Healthy, macro-focussed food delivered in Chiang Mai.

• Contact Liselle for a LinkedIn or resume revamp.

• If decision-making is not your forte, get in touch with Hannah Wang - a decision-making coach for entrepreneurs, business owners and big corporates.

QUIZ
Movietime…

Name these 6 travel-related movies from the clues:

1. Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie met in Italy in this 2010 flick.

2. Sean Penn directed this 2007 picture of a young man getting away from it all.

3. In 1997, Brad Pitt spent a long period of time in a troubled mountainous country.

4. A riotous 1983 flick of an epic US road trip to an amusement park.

5. Julia Roberts “found herself” in a popular digital nomad spot.

6. Think different modes of travel and an epic 1987 trip home for Christmas.

COMMUNITY
Get seen by digital nomads everywhere

We would love to hear from you if you have some valuable knowledge, products or services, information, or just a fun or crazy digital nomad story.

This is an opportunity to get some extra eyes on your thing, or if you just like to write or provide information to other nomads.

Drop us an email at [email protected] if you:

• have a travel blog, channel or platform that we can spotlight

• took a photo worthy of our photo of the week

• have a product or service that could help other digital nomads

• know a great event or place in Chiang Mai we might have missed

• …just have a great digital nomad story!

NEXT WEEK

Hopefully we’ll have better news about how Chiang Mai is faring and the newsletter will be service as usual as rainy season closes out.

We will, though, be chatting to an expert about tax as a digital nomad and covering another getaway for those keen to disappear for a week or two!

…and news and events we spot for digital nomads everywhere.

See you then.

ANSWERS

1. The Tourist. 2. Into The Wild. 3. Seven Years In Tibet. 4. National Lampoon’s Vacation. 5. Eat, Pray, Love. 6. Planes, Trains & Automobiles.